Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer. He is most known for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Mark Twain was raised in Missouri, which later provided the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. His first humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published in 1865 and was based on a story that he heard when he spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention and was even translated into French.
Mark Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, but he invested in ventures that lost most of it—such as the Paige Compositor, a mechanical typesetter that failed because of its complexity and imprecision. He filed for bankruptcy in the wake of these financial setbacks, but in time overcame his financial troubles with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers. He eventually paid all his creditors in full, even though his bankruptcy relieved him of having to do so.
Mark Twain was born shortly after an appearance of Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would "go out with it" as well; he died the day after the comet made its closest approach to the Earth. You can read his full bio at
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